Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation

Our services include:

• Advising on plan design and administration including compliance and regulatory issues,  plan wind-ups, plan mergers and conversions
• Advising on plan governance including governance audits and making recommendations on legal liability issues
• Advising plan administrators, boards of directors and trustees and frontline staff on fiduciary and statutory duties, proper external delegation, and reviewing and negotiating agreements with external service providers
• Negotiating pension funding relief and pension surplus-sharing agreements
• Advising on plan funding issues including contribution holidays and plan expenses, letter of credit funding arrangements and fund investment
• Drafting and reviewing plan documentation including plan texts and amendments, funding agreements, employee booklets, investment manager agreements, investment policies and change of control provisions
• Implementing effective employee communication strategies to reduce potential liability and advising employers on changing or amending post-retirement benefits
• Advising on design, funding and tax compliance issues for registered plans, supplemental retirement arrangements, retiring allowances, deferred income arrangements, profit-sharing plans, health and welfare trusts, and equity incentive plans
• Dealing with pension, benefits and compensation issues connected with corporate mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations and insolvencies
• Advising employers on plant closures, downsizing and early retirement programs
• Drafting submissions and representation of clients in collective bargaining and grievance arbitration and before regulatory bodies and the courts, involving litigation over pension and benefits issues, including class actions